I hadn't realised it's been a month since I last wrote! Let me fill you in
Christmas was nice and uneventful, good food and company. Fortunately I didn't embarrass myself like I was afraid of and kept my meal down, despite having a couple of mouthfuls of wine (my first for 15 months)
New Years Eve was spent on the Mornington foreshore - we could just see the glow of the city fireworks on the horizon - and a pesky fox intruder who kept trying to rummage through our stuff....clearly very used to human interaction, because that beast just kept coming back for more...
I tested positive to covid - my first time - and had to get antivirals. Of course nothing was open, so off I trundled to the Alfred primary care clinic. The year only a few hours old and there I was already in hospital. Now us Greeks are more superstitious than a convention of Shamen, and the first of the month determines what happens for that month (and the first of the year...) So, hospital for me. All year. Surprise!
Anyway despite all that, this covid dose was a bit of an anticlimax. Cough and fatigue.
Oh, you want to know about the cancer? Well, I had a scan end of December to plan for the liver radiation. They could see some response in the primary despite it being theoretically too early for the full effect of radiation there. Apparently there was evidence of necrosis in the main tumour already, and the "twins" hadn't grown bigger. Let me just say, a smiling beaming radiation oncologist is far more preferable to behold than a sour stern faced one. I scored the former on this occasion.
The planning for the liver irradiation is interesting. Like I said, I failed the "hold your breath" test, but passed the "put a corset on and squeeze it tight" test. As well as the corset, they made a body mould for me - a bean bag pressed around me and then the air sucked out so it retains its shape - this is to make sure I am in the same position for each dose. Picture the scene - a narrow flat scanner bed, me lying on it, hands reaching up above my head holding a bar, cushions under my head and knees, cocooned in a rigid bean bag from shoulder to knees, corset in situ and pumped up, drip in my arm, being slid in and out of the scanner as they drew dots on my skin and aligned the laser beams criss-crossing my torso - took about 3 hours in total including putting the drip in and observation after to make sure I didn't have an allergic reaction. All to make sure they zap the minimum size area...yep, I'm on board for that.
The real fun begins later this week. I have to go on a diet to minimise gas in the intestine. Charmingly called a low residue diet. It really means a white bland no wog food allowed diet: no fibre, a few boiled vegies (carrot & potato basically) no fruits or juices, no lactose. White bread, rice and plain pasta allowed. I don't think I can even slip the odd olive in there. Maybe when I'm not looking. I have to endure this for the next couple of weeks.
All for the he second round of zapping...I...can't...wait...